“Two months after this deadly attack, we still have more questions than answers. The American people deserve to know exactly what happened in Benghazi, and it's Congress' job to ensure there is a full accounting of the failures that led to this tragedy.”

— U.S. Sen. Ayotte

Senate Armed Services Committee

Some might argue now that a handful of State Department officials have fallen on their swords and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has taken responsibility for the Benghazi killings the matter should be put in the past and the nation move forward.

Such should not be the case — not just yet.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., is on target arguing that there are still many unanswered questions despite a recently released report labeling security at the Benghazi consulate as “grossly inadequate.”

For the most part, the report lays blame with mid-level officials for the lax security which led to the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, including some Navy SEALs. Singled out were an assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, a deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security, a diplomatic security office official, and a deputy assistant secretary who had responsibility for the North Africa region.

But the lapses which led to the killings appear to range far beyond the authority of acts of these four individuals and their offices.

While, we can agree with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., that we must move forward to address security issues raised by the report, there remains great concern over what is not in the report. This should cause all involved to remain focused on what happened elsewhere in the chain of command rather than moving now, an inference taken from Shaheen's comments to The Associated Press.

Why was the consulate not put on alert well ahead of the anniversary of 9/11, thus allowing time for troops and armaments to be repositioned from Afghanistan or elsewhere? Or was the request made and ignored? According to an Associated Press report, Defense Department officials are refusing to say.

It is important for these and other questions to be answered because there will continue to be security risks for U.S. diplomats and troops stationed abroad. There will be many more 9/11 anniversaries with which to be concerned, as will there be the ongoing possibility of other terrorists attacks at other times.

Some may see Ayotte's pursuit of more information as politically based. That would be a mistake. The roots to some of the problems which came home to roost in Benghazi most likely grew under prior presidential administrations. And unless addressed while Benghazi remains under public scrutiny, the search for a more comprehensive set of answers and solutions may slide into bureaucratic oblivion, only to re-emerge with news of more killings.